Time to Shine, Princess
by CrazySuperHeroine
Summary: Birthday fic for the one & only Rissa. Revolving around a special event involving her & Noah freakin' Crawford. ;)


Bells chimed, reverberating as well-dressed men and women streamed into the large building. Family and friends were seated in the hall, chattering away as they awaited her arrival. Bright lights flashed as photographers held their trusty black DSLR cameras to their face, shutters going off one after another.

Some of the guests struck random poses, giggling as their pictures were taken and developed. Those who had just stepped into the area were stopped by young adults, all dressed in formal black suits with a flower tucked into their breast pockets.

They smiled widely, faces brightened by their expressed happiness as they invited the patrons to scribble words of encouragement onto an A4-sized black scrapbook, its pages filled with colourful pictures of smiling faces.

Bulky video equipment were dumped on each side of the room, the huge stands angled in a way so that all the video cameras were able to cover another's blind spot. Technicians, videographers and other helpers were gathered behind the large camcorders, watching closely for any defects on the flipped screen.

Some were mobile, using smaller devices as they took their seat in the first row to film the day's events.

Behind the closed double doors, a man, in his late-40s, paced back and forth, sweat dripping down the sides of his face as nerves racked his whole body. The feelings worsened as the orotund voices escaped the main room, the sound surrounding him like a vacuum, despite the soothing music playing from within.

Thoughts of how everything could go wrong consumed his mind, keeping his heart thumping wildly, no matter how hard his efforts were to keep calm.

He wasn't the only one with the anxiety attacks.

A few doors down the long corridor was _her_ room, bustling with life as everyone raced against time to complete their assigned tasks. She shakily stood in front of the full-length mirror and admired the white ball gown that had been fitted onto her body, a breathy gasp leaving her pale lips.

It was simple; strapless, a flower-shaped knot at the side of her thigh before it continued as another piece of white fabric, flaring out just past the curve of her hips.

The gown was just like Cinderella's, a fairy tale-themed bodice, probably the reason why she chose it all those months ago. It made her feel like a queen, or maybe a princess, as what most of the staffs were calling her.

Her seamstress stood from behind her, huffing as she wiped the beads of perspiration off her forehead, finally done resizing the gown she was given the pleasure of making. Her tired blue eyes rose to meet those green ones of the beautiful lady in front of her. Without a word, the middle-aged woman stepped backwards and nodded, a small, exhausted smile stretched on her lips.

The princess twirled, her mouth agape as she gave herself a look over. The emerald green orbs widened as she froze, staring speechlessly at the woman looking back at her.

The gorgeousness of her attire was astonishing, stunning, impressive; every single other word she could form to describe breath-taking. Was this really her?

It was so surreal.

The gown hugged her body in all the right places, emphasizing her lady-like curves. Her hair was already done up into a bun, held securely by several hairbands and cans worth of hairspray.

All that was left was -

"Princess, honey, we still need to do your makeup!" A disembodied voice interrupted, causing said princess to cast her gaze to the other end of the reflective surface.

Another woman stepped into view, this one about a few years into her thirties, a taut expression straining on her face. Around her waist was a holder filled with different types of brushes, a hand poised on the large foundation brush. "Sweetie?"

Despite the fast paced environment, the still bare-faced woman stood rooted to the ground, completely dazed as she stared blankly back at her reflection. It was as though her mind had gone into shutdown from the situation as the negative thoughts she had from the night before came back to haunt her. Her anxiety attacked her at full force, her conscience slowly fading.

_What if he doesn't show up? What if he rejects me in front of everyone? What if…_

A warm hand gripped her arm, gently snapping her back to reality. She reluctantly tore her gaze away from the mirror, looking questioningly at the young woman before her. Unlike the gown she had on, the other wore a dress they knew as the 'Strapless Sweetheart', a short dress in a shade of pale pink.

With her pink contacts on, the girl ditched her spectacles, looking less like a messy Asian nerd and more like a bridesmaid for a wedding.

Her dress ended with fluffy truffles, just a little bit above her knees. A black pair of Jimmy Choos 3.4-inch heels were donned on her feet while a pure white rose bracelet was tied to her wrist, all blending just as well with her attire.

Her face was brightened by the foundation, contoured by a few light brushes of bronzer. Her eyes were brought out by the simple curve of black eyeliner, her cheeks redefined by a few strokes of baby pink blush.

"You look great, Sasha!" The dressed woman gawked, wide-eyed and completely awestruck at the change.

Sasha grinned knowingly, steering them towards a large Oakwood dressing table just as another girl with the exact same attire got off the seat. "This coming from the gorgeous _bride_? Hmm, I'll take it as a compliment!" she teased, settling down on the chair right by her best friend. It was then the bridesmaid noticed the soon-to-be married woman's clutched hands.

Calmly, Sasha rested her palm on the other's wrist and shook it gently. "Don't worry about it. Everything's going to be fine. Plus, I think Mrs Daley would explode if you don't sit still to let her do your makeup."

The bride glanced wearily at her reflection, ignoring the makeup artist who was busy setting out all the items she needed with a huff. She could spot the soft smile creeping on the bridesmaid's lips and sighed, a one-sided grin lifting her left cheek.

"Stop giving me the look your fiancé keeps making. I wonder how Max and I stand you two," she teased. They immediately collapsed into giggles afterwards, both knowing that they wouldn't have gotten where they were if not for each other.

It was then the princess realised.

She shouldn't be thinking so pessimistically. He's been supportive from the start, didn't he? They've been in love for the past 9 years, getting through the drama that came barrelling into their lives when they went public, ignoring the paparazzi stalking their every move. They've gone through thick and thin together.

And he was the one who sky dived with several other people to spell out the question, '_MARRY ME_?' in the air before landing in the open field and going down on one knee in front of her, in his grasp a petite box holding a five-carat heart-cut diamond ring.

A glimpse of the shimmering ring on her finger calmed her down. He wouldn't back out. Not now.

Plus, the slightly older bridesmaid was right. A short glance towards the makeup artist, Mrs Daley, and it was obvious she was one step closer to exploding all of her rounded stomach's contents. The old lady was grumbling, her face scrunched up as strings of curses were uttered under her breath. _Maybe I should just cooperate before my wedding is turned into a homicide scene_, the princess thought, cringing slightly when one of the eye shadow palettes was slammed onto the table.

"Thanks," her voice wobbled, as she casted her green eyes to the lengthy, silvery silk cascading down her long, slender legs, ignoring the fuming helper. Movement from the some others in the room made the princess-like bride slightly more aware of what was going on.

She tilted her head up and stared at the images buzzing past in the dressing table mirror. She could spot out her mum, puffing up another bridesmaid's dress while blabbering about how beautiful everyone was.

Three others in the same dress as Sasha, all of which were her Twitter friends who flew in from all over the world for her as well as her lover's sister, Hannah, had already gathered in front of the room door, chattering away whilst stealing glances at the very important person of this event.

She saw her aunt, arguing endlessly with another relative, tears gathering in their eyes as thoughts of the bride-to-be filled their minds.

She saw her father, slightly, between the bodies of the bridesmaids. He was pacing back and forth, his suit slightly crumpled, his lips moving as he mumbled to himself, just as what he was doing the second all of them stepped into the church.

_Probably force-feeding himself words of encouragement,_ she thought, her smile widening. The old man turned towards the door and staggered backwards, just realising that everyone in the bride's room could see him.

He shakily upturned his frown when his wife waved at him, shortly before she turned her back to him to address the group of girls. He closed his eyes. They didn't see the tears streaming down his cheeks, despite the fact that he was busy tugging at the cuffs of his suit to dab them.

Perhaps the idea of his daughter getting married, at the early age of 25, was too much for the man to handle.

The green-eyed lady's attention was now latched onto the large approaching figure as the naggy, plump lady from before began bustling in front of her, grabbing foundation, concealer and all sorts of makeup items, only to rearrange them one next to the other.

Mrs Daley placed them within an arm's length away before turning her attention back to the still plain-faced bride. She took out one of her brushes and pointed the blunt end towards Sasha, who was just sitting still, watching her every move with curious pink eyes.

"You," she spoke, her voice a high-pitched shrill that nearly threw Sasha off her seat. "Out. All the other bridesmaids are getting ready for the bride's appearance and so should you."

Sasha made a face before getting up, ignoring the piercing glare Mrs Daley was sending her way, and leaning over to hug the still nervous bride. "This is it. It's time to shine, Princess."

Her dark hair tickled their skins lightly before she pulled away, smiling as she waved and ran off to join the others.

As soon as the bridesmaids made their way towards the main room, the hired makeup artist began her work, her hands moving quickly and professionally about the princess' face. From foundation to eyeliner, all was done within half an hour.

Within that half an hour, the other helpers in the room had dispersed, all of them headed towards the sound of the orchestra with their own tailored dresses. Only her mum remained, leaning against the doorframe as she watched her one and only daughter get dolled up.

Mrs Daley, with the final stroke of a long-lasting mascara, stepped back, a satisfied smirk stretching her wrinkling features. "Finally," she muttered, her hands on the bride's shoulders as she stood behind her. "Look at yourself, sweetheart."

She didn't dare to. Throughout the whole experience, the bride has kept her eyes sealed shut. Her makeup artist assumed that she was just cooperating, so she continued. Plus, the gesture aided her in speeding up the whole process, especially when she was applying eyeliner. So, Mrs Daley didn't bother causing a fuss.

A few brushes of bronzer, a light dab of blush and red lipstick, and they were done.

"Oh my God, you look so beautiful," a choked voice blabbered.

The two turned, the presence of the bride's mother distracting her daughter from her inner freak out moment. Tears were gathering in the corners of her eyes, reflecting like crystals as the moisture fell past her reddened cheeks.

"Mum, don't cry," the princess-like bride pleaded, stumbling to her feet as she proceeded to wrap her arms around her sobbing mother. She rested her chin on the crook of the shorter lady's neck, tears prickling her own green eyes.

Or maybe it was just the layers of makeup on her face.

When they pulled away, her mother's long, thin fingers cupped her face as similar, shining green orbs studied the bride's face. "You grew up so fast. And now you're getting married!" the woman stated, streams of tears falling down her face rapidly. "It felt like it was just yesterday you were flailing whenever you saw your fiancé on television."

The bride blushed and giggled, using the pads of her thumbs to wipe the tear-tracks away. She noticed straight away that her mother was wearing a similar gown, only shorter and in the same shade as the bridesmaids. The older lady, too, had makeup on her, which was slightly smudged from her constant crying.

The daughter was about to speak when her father popped his head through the small crack of the door.

"It's nearly time, sweetheart,' he said, his own voice wobbling as he held back his emotions. However, his efforts were futile.

His eyes widened when his mind finally registered his daughter's attire. The middle-aged man stepped into the room, softly whispering an awestruck, "Wow."

"Dad!" the soon-to-be-wedded exclaimed in alarm, a playful frown on her face as she watched her father wiped the wetness from his cheeks. "Don't you start crying too!"

The bride's father chuckled and shook his head, dabbing his face dry with the cuffs of his suit. Again. "I won't. But it's nearly time to walk down the aisle. Are you ready?"

The bride, princess, sweetheart, honey- the woman who was about to tie herself down with marriage to the man who owned her world- looked around the room, where only her mother, the makeup artist and her father were the only ones left. She was about to nod when Mrs Daley interrupted.

"Ah! Your veil!"

Her green eyes snapped backwards just in time to see her mother grab the see-through fabric. The veil was attached to a silver tiara, which was shakily slid into the sides of her bun by her mom.

Silently, with heartfelt smiles on their faces, the veil was lowered to cover her face, a second, longer, piece flowing to the floor.

"It's time to shine, Princess," Mrs Daley repeated with a soft chuckle, obviously having eavesdropped on what Sasha had said previously.

Nerves were still whirling around her body, making her nervous as she approached her father. She slid her feet into the 3.4 inch white stilettos, which were waiting for her by the door. With a death grip on her father's arm, they walked down the corridor, her mother rushing ahead to open the double doors.

Two of the groom's other sisters, Bella and Olivia, stood on the other side, all dressed up in adorable pink dresses with a flower crown wrapped around their heads. Their brown eyes lit up when they saw her, jumping on the balls of their feet as they chattered excitedly.

Once the doors flew open, the bride held her head high as she and her dad strolled down the red carpet. Cameras began flashing and the videographers at the front turned 180 degrees, capturing the moment.

She could feel her soon-to-be sister-in-laws holding onto the excess of her veil as they tagged along, their soft giggles barely heard amongst the loud gasps coming from the guests.

From the corner of her eye, she could spot the larger camcorders moving with her every step.

The mid-20s woman glanced at her father, who now looked proud as they got closer and closer to the altar.

On the steps were the bridesmaids and best men, all dressed and ready whilst they awaited. The ladies held a bouquet of red roses, all grasped in their hands. The bride took a moment to take in the decorations of the main room.

The benches were wrapped with white silk, a large ribbon apparent on each end. The altar was illuminated by bright light, causing a dark shadow to befall the vases full of flowers located right by the groom and priest.

Her gaze finally fell on her man, dressed in a black and white suit with his hands clasped together in front of him. His usually messy brown curls was sleeked back, his jaw hung loosely as his hazel eyes travelled down her body appreciatively.

He held his hand out for her when she stopped by the steps and finally released the grip she had on her father's arm.

Both of them were nervous, obvious by the slight sweating of palms and the unsteady thumping of their hearts. They stared at one another, both taking a deep breath as hazel and green clashed.

Just each other's presence was enough for them to relax. This was really happening. Nothing would be able to screw this up for them.

There they stood, the soon-to-be married couple, their hands clasped together as they listened on the priest's words. Their vows were recapitulated, their promises redefined, their marriage sealed by the softest touch of lips.

Afterwards, everything went by in a flash. The after party, the throwing of her own bouquet, which her mother gave her before she left the church, the crazy fangirls screeching at the top of their lungs, the drive back to the newlywed's new house.

It all happened too fast for the bride. Now, as the moon shined its brightest and the crickets began their little acapella, the princess sat at her desk, scribbling away while looking through the scrapbook the couple's friends' and family had secretly compiled together.

She smiled as she stared at the pictures, most of which were from today, her pen hovering just above the leather-bound journal.

_Perfect_. That was how she was going to describe her wedding day.

Her thoughts wandered to the words her, now, husband had whispered to her after the ceremony.

"May today be the start of a long and happy life together – Wishing us both a very special day with lots of wonderful -"

* * *

A pair of warm, muscular arms wrapped around my torso, almost scaring the life out of me. My head turned sharply to the intruder and sighed when I noticed my spouse behind me, reading what I had written over my shoulder.

"Memories," he continued, kissing my temple. He nipped at my nape and tightened his grip. "With lots of wonderful memories."

"Noah!" I giggled as his smooches went to my neck. I turned and tried to push his face off, which only caused my lover to catch my lips for a chaste kiss. I found myself blushing when he buried his face in the dip on my collarbone.

"I love you, Rissa," he whispered, his brown orbs gleaming as his lips stretched into a one-sided smirk. "Or maybe I should call you Mrs Crawford."

Noah immediately tried to distract me again, this time continuously kissing my lips. "Mmm, stop. I want to finish this," I whined, my fingers clutching his wrists as I nuzzled my nose into his cheek.

The brunette pouted, his hazel eyes widened. His puppy-dog look. "What are you doing anyway, babe?"

"Penning our wedding day down. So I can tell this to our kids in the future and not forget a single detail. Duh," I sassed as I rolled my eyes and poked my tongue out at him playfully. He cocked his eyebrows, moving away so that he could turn my chair around.

An undignified squeal escaped my throat when Noah scooped me up in his arms, twirling us around. He managed to get us both into our bedroom safely, despite the fact that we were laughing our asses off.

"You can do that tomorrow. For tonight, it's all about the two of us," my husband whispered huskily, putting me down on our queen-sized bed. There was a mischievous sparkle in his eyes as he continued, "Princess."

**A/N: This fict is for my lovely, awesome, crazy but the best Twitter best friend, Rissa or GlowDiamandis (Twitter) or fykendallschmidtloganhenderson(on ff). It's her birthday today so give her some love, okay guys?  
Or it might be in a few hours but for Singapore time, IT IS HER BIRTHDAY. :D**

**To the birthday girl:**

**HAPPY FREAKIN' BIRTHDAY BABE. You're 16 now, right? AM I RIGHT OR DID I MAKE ANOTHER MISTAKE?! D:**

**My God I'm an idiot ._.**

**Anyway, I'm so sorry I've been neglecting you on Twitter. I just wanted to keep this as a surprise for you. Knowing me & my big fat mouth, I was bound to spill the beans so I decided to avoid Twitter for a bit. I'M SORRY ):**

**Plus, I kinda lied to you when we were talking about Noah & sausages (or smth like that) cause by then, I already had the plot sorted & it had nothing to do with that. Hehehe. Don't kill me.**

**Well, I hope you'll have a wonderful day of celebration both on Twitter & irl. I mean, it's not everyday you turn 16. :p What's better is I just realised that you & I are two months apart, since mine is January 18th xD**

**I'm really thankful / lucky to have you as a friend 'cause let's face it, I don't think many people can stand my ridiculousness on James & Max. :p Also, you're fun to talk to, understanding, funny, awesome-sauce, etc etc etc :3**

**I also hope that you enjoyed this marriage fic I made for you & Noah. I did warn you it was gonna be cheesy & IT FREAKIN IS. I spent quite a while to complete this & had people betaread/read this over my shoulder & giving me comments 'cause I really didn't want to mess it up.**

**Lets just say that this is my birthday present to you, since we're so far apart. I really hope you like it.**

**ILYSM RISSA~**

**& happy sweeeeet sixteenth ;)**

**P.s: I'm gonna take this opportunity to thank winterschild11 & TheRushEra(ff)/cheekyrusher(twitter)/eragraceffa_( twitter) for betareading this for me despite the fact that I gave you guys just a few hours before I planned to upload. Whoops :x**

**P.p.s: I'm addicted to Selena Gomez's Undercover. RISSA WHAT HAVE YOU DONE xD**

www. dresswilmington. /com/different-types-of-wedding-dresses .html - The Ball Gown Wedding Dress - the gown you're wearing in the fic.

^^ Just delete the spaces & that '/' in front of the com. :D


End file.
